Australia: Tony Abbott makes campaign pitch at school that calls homosexuality an ‘abomination’

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“Latest opinion polls show Mr Abbott is heading for victory in Australia’s general election on 7 September.”
-What a scary projection. Australia about to elect a bigoted theist as their new prime minister.
You’d have thought that Australia would know better this day and age.
Even the highly religious USA have progressed further. AUS is falling behind the rest of the west when it comes to equality. And using the word “liberal” for this candidate’s party is a sick joke. They’re anything but ‘liberal’.

It’s all a game, the leaders are not chosen by the public, they are groomed and managed and voted in by special interest groups and corporations, and foreign government agencies who need someone they can manipulate.

Don’t trust any polls, many of those in the press are managed and released by highly corrupt companies with the same corporate and government backers. The pollsters are NOT independent and have great power in swaying public opinion (few want to back a losing horse).

The person most likely to support military, intelligence, banking and corporate interests will get in, and I think you’ll find he fits that glove perfectly.

All fair points, but it’s the country with the established church, unelected upper house with bishops and head of state who’s governor of the state church that now has equal marriage, and the other one isn’t even close.

For myself, having lived for 4 years in Australia a long time ago, I’d still rather be in the UK.

Not strictly true. The Australian liberals do still have a strong element of small l liberalism that is progressive and supports gay rights. MPs like Kelly Odwyer, Julie Bishop, Malcolm Turnbull, Christopher Pyne and a few others including the estimable candidate for Melbourne POrts, Kevin Ekendahl, have either privately or in recent years publicly supported gay rights measures.

I merely referred to the origins, confusing to non-Australians, of the title: In Australia, the term Liberalism refers to centre-right economic liberalism. Party ideology has therefore been referred to as Liberalism, distinct from its meaning in some countries, but also as conservatism, which features strongly in party ideology.

People of ‘belief’, as you so rightly say, seem to think they have carte-blanche to say what they like, unchallenged. The main reason for homophobia is self-hate. By whom is self-hate taught? Religion. Without the insidious nature of religious conditioning, there would be no homophobia. Just like there used to be no witches … or adulterers … or heretics. Fortunately, we can now say what we feel about religion without fear of being put to death. But, old habits die hard – and those of ‘belief’ are still out there, peddaling hatred and stirring up fear on god’s behalf. I wish they’d shut their mouths and let god speak for him / herself. Who ARE these self-appointed moral guardians to presume to KNOW what ‘god’ thinks? It’s all such childish nonsense – but nonsense which has caused UNTOLD harm and suffering. It’s time their privileged position in society was ended. Believe what the f**k you want. Just don’t use ‘religion’ as a licence to hate and the bible to justify your bigotry

Amazing. Supposedly intelligent people believing in stories written in an old novel about talking snakes and women made from men’s ribs. I thought Australia was quite a progressive place. Abbott proves it’s as backward as it was when Britain used to send convicts there. I won’t be visitng any time soon if they are that stupid and bigoted. Thank goodness for the much more beautiful and forward-thinking New Zealand.

Dear Truth, please don’t judge Australia by its politicians or its media. The media is not diverse – ‘dirty digger’ Rupert Murdoch controls 70% of the print media which he uses to manipulate public opinion. The public are far ahead of our politicians on LGBTI issues with most credible research indicating acceptance of Equal Marriage. Australia is relatively progressive because of the ‘fair go’ principle that goes back to the early days of colonisation when prisoners (who were just as likely be accused of stealing bread as more serious crimes) were freed in order to produce food for the starving/struggling colony, and surprise surprise these people succeeded, hence the fair go. As for political parties, the Labor Party have the good ideas but poor at implementation, whereas the ironically named ‘Liberals’ have terrible ideas but are good at implementation. The Liberal Party is also suffering from the legacy of the friendship/alliance between John Howard and himbo George W Bush.

…. as for Tony Abbott, he thrives on confrontation with a history of this predilection going back to his university days. His confrontatationalism manifests more physically than verbally (he was a pugilist during his Uni days and a ‘rough’ rugby player) & is often stumped by journalists. Added to this he has a strong contrarian streak which results in his backing the second rate ideas because his opponent got to the good ideas first. Research shows that women are very wary of him due to his views and behaviour towards them (Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech). He deposed the much more popular and erudite Malcolm Turnbull in a leadership spill by a single vote. It is also widely accepted that the Liberal Party would be much further ahead if Turnbull was their leader.

Abbott has been effective as an opposition leader because he is so confrontational, but most of his public pronouncements are about what he will ‘undo’ rather than what he will do. Not promising leadership qualities!

If Abbott were to give his party a free vote on Equal Marriage Rights, I believe we would have Same Sex Marriage in Australia as many in his party are pro-equality. I think Australians will not be voting FOR Tony Abbott (and his Liberal/National Coalition) but against the Australian Labor Party. We can only hope he is ditched as the Coalition leader for the more urbane, intelligent and respected Malcolm Turnbull (who is pro-marriage equality).

Is he really becoming president? Well, since the Labour Party has lost most of its credibility (thanks to that hypocrtical ginger shirley) I fear Australia won’t see marriage equality for at least two terms, i.e. not until almost 2020…

The answer is simple, remove government funding from schools that teach such violations of human rights. We will quickly see two things, all such references will be removed to regain government funding, and secondly that this will prove that their one true god is the ‘Almighty Dollar’ and that they are false prophets of the ‘God of the Bible’.

Money is the quickest and easiest way to uncover hypocrites, whatever that hypocrisy is!

On her radio show, Dr. Laura said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Schlesinger, written by a US man, and posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as quite informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regar…ding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan,

James M. Kauffman,

Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,

Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia

The old song `They will know we are Christians by our love’ has now been changed to `They will know we are Christians by our hatred of gays’. This is a world wide phenomenon. It is sad to see it inculcated in school children.

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